Early December System Updates Issues on Steam Deck: Firestorm & Deadlock Problems – Need Community & Valve Action

[The Squishy]

Hello Steam Deck Community,

I’m reaching out because I’ve been facing persistent issues on my Steam Deck that I believe stem from a system update released by Valve in early December. I’ve already opened multiple support tickets ( Ticket HT-WJCQ-7KVC-R2KV HT-8NDC-V5T3-83BD HT-WHQJ-J5X6-2D9D) without receiving a satisfactory resolution, so I’m hoping to gather more input and bring greater visibility to the problem here.

What Happened:

Before Early December:
Both Firestorm (a third-party viewer for Second Life) and Deadlock (a game in my Steam library) worked flawlessly on my Steam Deck. I used Firestorm regularly and had no issues with Deadlock either.
After System Updates:
In early December, before the 15th, while using PC mode, I applied some system updates via the Discovery Software Center. Soon after:
Firestorm Issue:
Firestorm started launching to a black screen and quitting before reaching the login page. I later managed to get Firestorm working by downgrading certain Freedesktop/Mesa runtime components (which confirmed that the issue was tied to system-level changes, not the Firestorm application itself—the version I’m using was released in October and hadn’t been updated since).
Deadlock Issue:
Shortly after reforming my steam deck in an attempt to remedy the firestorm issue, I attempted to reinstall Deadlock. Despite having worked perfectly before, when I clicked “Install” on Deadlock’s Steam page, nothing happened. The install button remained unresponsive, and immediately afterward, the entire system began to freeze—Steam library pages stalled (showing only a loading indicator), and essential controls (including the power button) became unresponsive, forcing me to perform a hard shutdown. This behavior reliably recurs each time I attempt to install Deadlock.
What I’ve Tried:

I reformatted and fully re-imaged my Steam Deck in an effort to resolve these issues, but while Firestorm could eventually be fixed via a runtime rollback, Deadlock continues to cause system-level freezes.
I’ve opened several support tickets, provided detailed diagnostics (including mentioning a core dump file I generated), and followed all the standard troubleshooting steps. Unfortunately, Valve’s support has provided generic responses and closed my tickets without addressing the underlying problem.
Why This Matters:

The fact that both applications worked perfectly before these updates strongly suggests that the system updates introduced by Valve are at fault.
Valve is responsible for the Steam Deck’s system software, and if their updates are breaking previously functional software, it’s reasonable to expect them to take accountability and address these issues.
Despite the known issues with Mesa updates (as seen in public GitHub issues affecting Firestorm), my experience with Deadlock indicates that these system-level changes may be impacting a broader range of applications than recognized.

Valve’s Responsibility:
These issues began only after Valve released a system update. Since my device was fully functional before the update, it is clear that the update itself is causing compatibility and stability problems.
Consumer protection principles (such as the implied warranty of merchantability) suggest that if a product becomes unusable due to updates from the manufacturer, then the manufacturer (Valve, in this case) should be accountable for remedying the issue.

What I’m Looking For:

Has anyone else experienced similar issues with Firestorm or Deadlock after recent system updates?
Are there any workarounds or additional steps that have helped others overcome these problems?
Is there any indication that Valve is aware of these system-level conflicts and working on a fix?
I’d also appreciate any advice on how to escalate this matter further within the community or directly with Valve, as the current support process has not been helpful.
I appreciate any feedback or insights from the community, and I hope that by sharing our experiences, we can encourage Valve to take a more proactive approach in addressing these critical system update issues.

Thank you for reading and for your assistance.

[D. Flame]

Might not be related, but this is the first thing that sprang to mind:
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2025/02/the-glibc-2-41-update-has-been-causing-problems-for-linux-gaming/

[Bowenarrowjr]

Got my steamdeck in December. Really want to try Firestorm but experiencing same issue of black screen then closing automatically. Do you know any guide for a workaround/downgrade?

[The Squishy]

Originally posted by Bowenarrowjr:

Got my steamdeck in December. Really want to try Firestorm but experiencing same issue of black screen then closing automatically. Do you know any guide for a workaround/downgrade?

I do, use the info there in konsole, resolution I have for that issue is a temp fix, it's a downgrade. https://github.com/flathub/org.firestormviewer.FirestormViewer/issues/48

[The Squishy]

Found out deadlock could be installed in pc mode, I’ve been trying to do it in game mode all this time since the issues began. Just dawned on me today to try, and it finally worked, got it installed and I’m in the main menu screen, once installed it is not required to stay in pc mode to play the game it would appear. I think it should work fine now